DALLAS (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
News has learned that members of Congress may investigate why Southwest Airlines has been flying 82 of its jets with unauthorized parts, in some cases for three years.
As first reported on Tuesday, Jim Berard, the spokesman for the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee said that the committee's lead investigator has been briefed by the Federal Aviation Administration. Options being considered, Berard said, include holding a hearing or calling for an investigation by the General Accounting Office or the Department of Transportation's Inspector General.
Berard said that the committee may decide to write the FAA a letter.
This fall, Berard said, the committee also plans to hold a follow-up hearing to the one held in April 2008. That hearing involved two FAA inspectors from North Texas who accused their supervisors of having a cozy relationship with Southwest Airlines.
The FAA had allowed the airline to fly 46 planes without required safety inspections for cracks in the fuselage. The airline has agreed to pay a $7.5 million fine in that case.
As for the unauthorized parts found on Southwest's planes, the FAA said it is still investigating why it happened. The agency ruled Tuesday that Southwest has until Christmas Eve to replace the parts, which are found on the wings. They are designed to protect the flaps from getting burned by the engines' exhaust.
Southwest said that it has already replaced the parts on 43 planes, and must still do so on 39 jets. Until they are fixed, the planes can fly, but must be inspected every seven days for wear and tear.
The FAA also ordered Southwest to locate, dispose of, and report any additional unapproved parts it finds.
On August 21, the FAA said that one of its inspectors found the parts were made by one of Southwest's vendors, D-Velco Aviation Services. The parts did not match the government's specs, according to the FAA, and D-Velco was not authorized to have a subcontractor make the parts.
But after consulting with Boeing, which makes the 737s, the FAA found that the parts do not pose an immediate safety hazard.
Southwest said it did not know the unauthorized parts were on the planes. When asked why they did not know, spokesman Paul Flaningan said, "That's a good question. That's something, again, going through our procedural compliance efforts, we hope to find out how this happened so it doesn't happen again."
Southwest has suspended D-Velco. That company's spokesman said that they are cooperating with the FAA's investigation.
The National Transportation Safety Board is also still investigating an incident in July, when a hole suddenly opened in the roof of a plane during flight. There were no injuries, and the pilot landed the plane in West Virginia without incident.
News has learned that members of Congress may investigate why Southwest Airlines has been flying 82 of its jets with unauthorized parts, in some cases for three years.
As first reported on Tuesday, Jim Berard, the spokesman for the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee said that the committee's lead investigator has been briefed by the Federal Aviation Administration. Options being considered, Berard said, include holding a hearing or calling for an investigation by the General Accounting Office or the Department of Transportation's Inspector General.
Berard said that the committee may decide to write the FAA a letter.
This fall, Berard said, the committee also plans to hold a follow-up hearing to the one held in April 2008. That hearing involved two FAA inspectors from North Texas who accused their supervisors of having a cozy relationship with Southwest Airlines.
The FAA had allowed the airline to fly 46 planes without required safety inspections for cracks in the fuselage. The airline has agreed to pay a $7.5 million fine in that case.
As for the unauthorized parts found on Southwest's planes, the FAA said it is still investigating why it happened. The agency ruled Tuesday that Southwest has until Christmas Eve to replace the parts, which are found on the wings. They are designed to protect the flaps from getting burned by the engines' exhaust.
Southwest said that it has already replaced the parts on 43 planes, and must still do so on 39 jets. Until they are fixed, the planes can fly, but must be inspected every seven days for wear and tear.
The FAA also ordered Southwest to locate, dispose of, and report any additional unapproved parts it finds.
On August 21, the FAA said that one of its inspectors found the parts were made by one of Southwest's vendors, D-Velco Aviation Services. The parts did not match the government's specs, according to the FAA, and D-Velco was not authorized to have a subcontractor make the parts.
But after consulting with Boeing, which makes the 737s, the FAA found that the parts do not pose an immediate safety hazard.
Southwest said it did not know the unauthorized parts were on the planes. When asked why they did not know, spokesman Paul Flaningan said, "That's a good question. That's something, again, going through our procedural compliance efforts, we hope to find out how this happened so it doesn't happen again."
Southwest has suspended D-Velco. That company's spokesman said that they are cooperating with the FAA's investigation.
The National Transportation Safety Board is also still investigating an incident in July, when a hole suddenly opened in the roof of a plane during flight. There were no injuries, and the pilot landed the plane in West Virginia without incident.